Propeller for air-ships.



P. S. DAVIES. PROPELLER, r011 AIR SHIPS. uruql'non FILED APILB, 190a.

Patented Nbv; 3, 1908.

PETER s. DAVIES, OF PUEBLO, c'oLoaacc.

PROPELLEB FOB AIR-SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908,

Application filed. April 3, 1908. Serial No. 424,934.

To all whom it may concern:

l 3e it known that I, PETER S. DAVIES, a citizen of the United ,States,residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, haveinvented new and useful Im provements in Propellers for Air-Ships, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for the pro ulsion of a vehicleand it is especially ada to for air ships, although it may be use inother connections.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction and operation of propellers so as to be comparatlvely easyand inexpensive to manufacture, of durable design, and effective in use.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a ropeller havingany desired number of blades or buckets mounted on a shaft to rotate ata high speed, each bucket being provided with a plate or vane that isadapted to open automatically by beating the air or other fluid until itreaches an effective angle to the plane of rotation of the buckets toobtain the maximum propelling influence.

Another ob'ect of the invention is to provide a pro eller bucket of aproximately semi-cubica form having a radial wall or vane which isadapted to be deflected to an angle to the plane extending transverselyto the axis of rotation, the vane being limited by a stop device whenthe maximum point of deflection has been reached.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments ofthe invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the propeller. Fig. 2 is a lanview thereof. Fig. 3 is a front view 0 the propeller. Fig. 4 is asectional view on line 4-4, Fi 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line5-5, Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

illustrate a propeller of the two-blade construction but it is to beunderstood that any desired number of blades or buckets may be employedto meet the requirements of any given case.

. Referring to the drawing, A designates the propeller shaft which isadapted to be driven at a comparatively high speed by any suitablemechanism, and mounted on the shaft are buckets B that arecorrespondingly disposed. As illustrated, the buckets are hollines inFig. 5.

low semi-cubical structures and consist of radially-disposed vanes orplates 1 around each of which is a scoop-shaped hood, the hoodcomprising two spaced walls 3 extending transversely to the shaft, and aconnecting wall 3' dis osed parallel with the shaft and tangentially tothe circle described by the outer edge of the vane 1. The hoods of thebuckets are secured to the shaft A by havin the side walls 3 riveted orotherwise suitabfly secured tocollars. The vanes 1 of the buckets havetheir forward edges secured to the hoods in such a manner as to permitthe vanes to be deflected outwardly to approximately an angle offorty-five degrees with respect to their normal or idle position. Oneconvenient manner of arranging the vanes for this purpose is to hingethem on approximately radially-dis osed rods 5 that are secured to thefront si es of the hoods by metal pieces 6 formed into eyes 7 forreceiving the extremities of the rods, and on the vanes are eyes 8 forreceiving the rods and thus hingedly connect the'vanes to the hoodsofthe buckets, and on each rod is a helical torsion spring 8' arrangedwith one extremity bearing against the front of the hood, as shown at 9,and the other extremity 10 bearing on the vane 1 so as to hold thelatter normally in the full line position.

The vanes are limited in their outward movement by slotted members 11dis osed concentric with the hinges on whic the vanes swing, anddisposed in the slot of each member is a pin 12 secured to the fixedpart or hood of the bucket for permittin the vanes to swing outwardabout forty-five degrees. When the shaft A is idle, the vanes or plates1 of the buckets are in closed position, as indicated by full As theshaft is driven,.the resistance offered by the air as the vanes rotatecauses the latter to gradually swing outwardly on their hinges as thespeed of rota-. In the present instance, I have elected totionincreases, the movement being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5.Finally the vanes are deflected to their maximum limit as shown b thedotted lines in Fig. 2, and when in t is osition, the air taken up bythe buckets is ireoted rearwardly by the inclined vanes so as to producea owerful r0- pelling force whereb the vehicle to w ich the propeller isattac ed will be driven in the direction in which the shaft or axis ofrotation is pointed.

From the foregoing description, taken in to an ang e of;

commotion with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of theconstruction and of t e method of operation will be readily apparent tothose skil ed in the art to which the Invention appertains, and while Ihave described the principle of operation of the invention, to ctherwith the device which I now consinl er to be the best embodimentthereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merelyillustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as arewithin the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is f 1. A propellercomprising a plurality of buckets, each bucket consisting of arelativelyfixed part, and a vane mounted thereon to automatically assume aposition disposed at an angle to the plane of rotation.

2. A propeller comprlsing a pluralit of buckets, each bucket consistingof a fi ced hood, and a vane havin one of its radial edges hingedlyconnectef with the hood to swing on an axis disposed transverse to thatof the propeller.

3. A propeller comprising a plurality of buckets, each bucket consistingof a scoo shaped hood,-'a vane normally closing t e hood at its bottomand arranged to swing open automatically upon rotation of the propeller,and means for limiting .the opening movement of the vane.

4. A propeller bucketcomprising a hood composed of side walls and an endconnecting wall, said latter wall being disposed tan gentially to thearc of movement of the bucket, and a vane associated with the hood andarranged to automatically assume a position disposed at an angle to theplane of rotation.

5. A propeller comprising a bucket havin a vane mounted to move on anaxis disposed radially to the axis of rotation of the propeller, meansfor limiting the movement of the vane, and a yielding device forresisting said movement.

6. A propeller bucket com rising an a proximately semi-cubical fixepart, a yiel mg vane carried thereby and arranged to be deflectedoutwardly from the said part and at an angle to the plane of rotation ofthe bucket, and a stop for automatically limiting the opening movementof the vane.

7. A ropeller bucket comprising a scoopshaped ood, avane, means forconnecting one edge of the vane with the hood for swinging movement,- aspring pressing on the vane,

a slottedmember connected with the vane,

and a pin on the hood engagin in the slot of the 'Sflld member forlimiting t e movement of the vane.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER S. DAVIES.

Witnesses FRANK P.'LUTZ, DAVID M. CAMPBELL.

